Gamecocks’ Jordan Diggs still at safety, ready to return to field

Jordan Diggs is at a loss to explain it.

He spent all of last season at safety, starting 10 games. He even fended off others trying to take his spot. Yet before spring practice started, the team’s roster listed him as a linebacker.

Not that anything came from it.

“I’m still a safety,” said Diggs, who sat out spring practice with a shoulder injury. “I meet with the safeties every day. Everything I do is safety. I haven’t learned one linebacker play actually. Maybe that was a mishap or a mistake, something that happened. To my understanding, I’m going to play safety, get reps at safety, have a chance to compete at safety.”

Diggs came through an up-and-down 2015 after ascending to a starting role. He made 48 tackles and picked off a pass, but also had some issues taking bad angles. But he held his job, even when D.J. Smith started ahead of him against Tennessee and was pulled after two drives.

Even without a position change, Diggs gained a new perspective in the spring. He’d been in the fray every spring on campus, and he got to watch from the sidelines as coach Will Muschamp went to work putting a stamp on the program and his teammates learned their new defense.

“All I could really do was watch a lot of film,” Diggs said. “I spent a lot of time watching film and was trying to get as many mental reps as possible, pick up on the things I could. I really looked at the stuff coaches were harping on guys about, the mistakes guys were making. Just told myself that once I’m cleared, this offseason is going to be big for me and those are the things I’m definitely going to work on.”

Diggs said he was back lifting weights, but not fully cleared early last week.

It doesn’t hurt that his position meetings happen to involve the head coach. Muschamp played safety, has always coached defensive backs and took extra responsibilities with the safeties (secondary coach Travaris Robinson focused on the cornerbacks).

As he spent time with his new coach, Diggs gained an appreciation for the more subtle elements of Muschamp’s coaching style.

“At first, he definitely was intense,” Diggs said. “We were a little nervous, but he’s definitely a great coach. Great at explaining things and really making sure we understand. So for him to kind of break the ice, crack a joke or two, get guys kind of comfortable, it’s definitely been great.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 8:26 AM.